I decided that I wanted to have somewhere to 'hide' my devices while they were charging, and why not steampunk? I went to the local hobby store and bought a box, and went about turning it into a charging station. Most of the ones I've seen were boxes with power-strips stuck in the back, but I didn't need seven plugs, I just needed one or two. I used a lamp cord, and a handful of cord components to make this really REALLY simple charging station.

Step 1: Tools and Materials

I went to the homestore and the hobby store to get my components. The electrical components cost about five dollars, and the box cost about fifteen.

You'll need a 1/2in forstner bit, and a steady hand with a hand-drill, otherwise you can use a drill-press.

The cord I chose was a non-grounded one, so I got a non-grounded plug for the other end; I got a lamp cord because it came with a molded plug on the other end so I didn't have to do too much wiring.

This whole project took about two hours, including shopping!

Step 2: Assembly

Using your forestner bit, drill a hole big enough for just the cord (not the plug) to run the bare-end through into the inside of the box. Use even pressure with the bit, and try and keep it straight up and down. Go slowly and you won't have any tear-out inside the box (why I used the forestner bit; paddle bits make a mess).

Thread the bare cord through the hole, and wire up the plug-end. Now that the plug is attached on the other end, the cord is completely captive. You can coil up any excess cord inside the box if you got too much, but you have extra cord if you move house, and the new wall-socket is further away from where you keep the box.

Step 3: Plug in Your Charger

Now that your box is put together, you can plug in your charger! Coil the cord inside the box, and you can close the lid when you're not charging and you have a nice hidden charging station.